Did you know that on the shores of Lake Bled in Slovenia, a viewpoint is called Mana’s Stump?
It wasn’t named by chance.
For nearly three years, almost every morning, whatever the weather, I walked around the lake with Mana, my Australian Shepherd. Over time, certain habits became cherished rituals.
One of them was meeting Stojan. Every day, this elderly gentleman would ride around the lake on his electric bicycle, with a small radio attached to the handlebars playing a local station. More often than not, we heard him before we saw him.
As for Mana, he was mostly interested in the treats Stojan always kept in his pocket.
Another ritual awaited us a little farther along our walks.
Just below the path stood an old tree stump facing Bled Island.
Every single time, Mana would stop. He would stare at it…
Then turn his head toward me.
We both knew what came next. As soon as I smiled, he would dash down the path, jump onto the stump for a few seconds, and then dive into the lake.
One morning, back home, I sat down at my computer to write an article for my old blog about the most beautiful viewpoints around Lake Bled.
When I reached that particular stump, I ran into a simple problem. I wanted to add it to the map, but it didn’t have a name. I sat there for a moment, staring at my screen.
Mana looked at me, tilting his head. Then it suddenly became obvious: Mana’s Stump.
Almost as a joke, I created the place on Google Maps. and uploaded a photo of Mana standing on his stump. To my surprise, they approved it very quickly. (Apparently, even their algorithms thought the stump deserved a name.)
I published the article and moved on.
Years passed…
One day, out of curiosity, I typed “Mana’s Stump” into Google. I wasn’t expecting anything.
And yet… Photographers and travelers were now talking about Mana’s Stump as one of the must-see spots around Lake Bled. Some even described it as a magical place.
Looking at this scene, you might think there’s an old legend surrounding this stump.
Perhaps that’s how legends begin.
That day, I realized that a place does not become memorable simply because of what it is or the atmosphere it creates. It becomes memorable because of the stories we attach to it.
Where Mana Is has probably never lived up to its name more than it does here.
Where Mana Is
Visual artist and traveler.
In search of places that radiate a unique kind of magic.
Some call it mana.